DNA Repair in Human Lymphocytes after Radiation Exposure under Mild Hypoxia

Abstract

During space flights and long-term space missions, astronauts are exposed to elevated doses of radiation posing a significant health risk. Ionizing radiation induces DNA damage and accompanying cellular responses in all human tissues and can have deleterious effects on the whole organism including cell death or tumor development. To realize plans like setting up a lunar basecamp or even flying to Mars, individual radiation risks coming up during long-term stays in space must be elucidated and countermeasures must be identified and evaluated. Since the basic mechanisms that are induced by exposure to increased radiation doses and underlie the radiation-associated health risks are similar amongst astronauts during space flights and patients receiving radiotherapy, findings from research under space conditions could furthermore be derived for clinical applications, such as the prevention of radiation toxicity for radiotherapy patients. Being able to investigate individual responses to such therapies or modifying these responses in healthy or tumor tissue would be a major improvement for cancer patients und an enormous advance for cancer therapy in general. [...]